Post by Keith on Aug 12, 2019 8:19:49 GMT -6

U.S. Marine killed in Iraq identified

(Reuters) - The Department of Defense (DOD) identified on Sunday the U.S. service member who died during an Iraqi Security Force (IFS) mission as Gunnery Sergeant Scott A. Koppenhafer, 35, of Mancos, Colorado.

Koppenhafer was killed on Saturday by enemy small arms fire while conducting combat operations in Ninewah province, the DOD said in a statement late on Sunday.

Post by Keith on Aug 12, 2019 8:20:25 GMT -6

U.S.-Taliban talks end without a deal, both sides to consult: Taliban

KABUL (Reuters) - Talks on a pact that would allow the United States to end its longest war and withdraw troops from Afghanistan ended on Monday without agreement and both sides would consult their leaders on the next steps, the Taliban said.

The talks, held in Qatar since late last year, have brought hopes for a deal allowing U.S. troops to leave in exchange for a Taliban promise that Afghanistan will not be used by militants as a base from which to plot attacks abroad.

But the United States is pushing for Taliban agreement on two other elements: power-sharing talks with the U.S.-backed government and a ceasefire.

Post by Duck on Aug 13, 2019 7:10:57 GMT -6

Pompeo posts Iran countdown clock: ‘Time is running out’

Pompeo dramatized the fact that international agreements holding Iran back will soon expire by posting a countdown clock to the State Department website. On Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned that international agreements restraining Iran are going to expire. He urged the international community to “stand together against the Iranian regime’s support for terror.”

To dramatize the situation he posted to the State Department website a countdown clock showing that in about 15 months, the agreements will expire. “The Islamic regime in Iran is the world’s leading state sponsor of terror. For over 40 years their malign behavior and support for terrorist proxies has spread uncurbed,” the State Department message says.

Post by Keith on Aug 13, 2019 7:30:13 GMT -6

U.S.-Taliban talks end without deal, both sides to consult

KABUL (Reuters) - Talks on a pact that would allow the United States to end its longest war and withdraw troops from Afghanistan ended on Monday without agreement and both sides saying they would consult their leaders on the next steps.

Held in Qatar since late last year, the talks have brought hopes for a deal allowing U.S. troops to leave in exchange for a Taliban promise that Afghanistan will not be used by Islamist militants as a base from which to plot attacks abroad.

But the United States is pushing for Taliban agreement on two other, more far-reaching elements: power-sharing talks with Afghanistan’s U.S.-backed government and a ceasefire.

Post by Keith on Aug 13, 2019 7:30:52 GMT -6

British warship sets sail for tanker escort mission in Gulf

LONDON (Reuters) - British warship HMS Kent set sail for the Gulf on Monday to join a U.S.-led mission protecting commercial shipping vessels in the region amid heightened political tension between the West and Iran.

Britain has joined the United States in a maritime security mission in the Gulf to protect merchant vessels.

That comes after Iran seized a British oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz. On July 4 British marines seized an Iranian vessel, which is suspected of smuggling oil to Syria, off the coast of Gibraltar.

"I call on Benny Gantz to remember how the IDF failed in its conflict with residents of eastern Gaza during Operation Protective Edge, when he was Chief of Staff," Sinwar said. "During the next conflict with Israel, we will rain hundreds of rockets in a single barrage."

Post by Duck on Aug 15, 2019 6:55:09 GMT -6

China Blocks U.S. Navy Ships from Visiting Hong Kong

The U.S. Pacific Fleet confirmed on Wednesday that China had blocked a previously scheduled visit for two U.S. Navy ships to Hong Kong, adding that it hopes Beijing will soon reconsider and continue allowing the American military to have ties to the capitalist port city.

The denial comes amid months of protests against the communist regime attracting millions of the city’s residents and triggering a violent police crackdown. The Communist Party has repeatedly blamed President Donald Trump of fabricating the Hong Kong protests as a ploy to weaken the Chinese economy. Trump has denied any involvement, citing the lack of evidence present and expressing confusion about the accusations.

Post by Keith on Aug 15, 2019 7:17:44 GMT -6

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar vowed to defeat the IDF and “shower” Israeli cities with missile barrages if Israel launches another military campaign in the Gaza Strip.

“We will break the defeated occupation army if it crosses into the Gaza Strip. We know what we say and mean what we say,” Sinwar said in a speech celebrating the Eid al-Adha holiday in his hometown of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza.

“If Israel launches a campaign in Gaza, we will shower their cities with hundreds of missiles in one go,” he added. “If a war occurs, we will strike on the occupation army and break its power once and forever. We are not joking.”

Post by Keith on Aug 15, 2019 7:18:17 GMT -6

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong braced on Thursday for more mass demonstrations through the weekend, as China again warned against foreign interference in the city’s escalating crisis and as mainland paramilitary forces conducted exercises just across the border.

Western governments, including the United States, have stepped up calls for restraint, following ugly and chaotic scenes at the city’s airport this week, which forced the cancellation of nearly 1,000 flights and saw protesters set upon two men they suspected of being government sympathizers.

The airport, one of the world’s busiest, was returning to normal but under tight security after thousands of protesters had jammed its halls on Monday and Tuesday nights, part of a protest movement Beijing has likened to terrorism.

Post by Duck on Aug 16, 2019 7:32:21 GMT -6

Saudis post US Patriots to protect Mecca during the hajj

Saudi Arabia has for the first time deployed anti-aircraft Patriot missiles to protect Mecca. As 2.5 million faithful conducted the hajj pilgrimage, Yemeni Houthi drone and missile attacks on the kingdom continued. Tens of thousands of security officers and military personnel are guarding this year’s Islam pilgrimage to the holy sites. The Saudi Islamic affairs minister this week accused the Yemeni insurgents and Iran of seeking to destroy the Kaaba, Islam’s holiest site.

Post by Duck on Aug 16, 2019 7:35:18 GMT -6

North Korea fires two unidentified projectiles into East Sea: JCS

North Korea fired two unidentified short-range projectiles into the East Sea on Friday, South Korea's military said, the sixth such launch in about three weeks. The firing came shortly after a warning that North Korea could end dialogue with South Korea in apparent protest against the Seoul-Washington military exercise and Seoul's defense plan, announced earlier this week, outlining its five-year major weapons procurement projects.

The two projectiles were fired at around 8:01 and 8:16 a.m. from its eastern coastal county of Tongchon in Kangwon Province into the East Sea, and both flew around 230 kilometers at a maximum altitude of 30 km and a top speed of around Mach 6.1, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).